Motion City Soundtrack look back with special tour

BMS talks with bassist Matthew Taylor about the band's past, present and future

Motion City Soundtrack has been there and done that. After a decade together, the Minneapolis-based band has four (going on five) full-length albums under their belts. But as they finish and attempt to find a home for their still-unnamed fifth release, the band is taking a moment to look back on the journey that got them to where they are today. For two nights, in seven cities across the country including Boston, Motion City Soundtrack will play their entire catalogue – two albums per show – straight through from beginning to end.

The “4 Albums. 2 Nights. 7 Cities” tour, which hits Boston’s Paradise Rock Club on September 13 and 14, was inspired by a similar set of dates in Chicago back in 2009, when the band played their then three albums over the course of three nights. The shows were a success, and the band wanted to take the idea and expand it.

“We felt we would just kinda take it to the next level and do the next natural thing that we could do,” says bassist Matthew Taylor. “It’s a terrifying thing to do but I think it’s really good for us to do, and I think it’s a really cool thing for the fans, too, ’cause obviously you don’t get that kind of opportunity too often, to go see a band play their entire catalogue in order. I guess it’s part challenge, part something new, something fresh, fun.”

Returning to the older albums and playing them in full brought back a lot of memories for Motion City Soundtrack. For Taylor, who joined the band after the initial recording of their first album I Am The Movie, it brings back a lot of old feelings.

“We just hopped in the band and played those songs every night for a long time,” says Taylor. “Going right into that album, it makes me feel younger just playing those songs, it’s really fun. I’m excited to do that again.”

While the trip down memory lane is all well and good, Motion City Soundtrack has finished the recording of their yet-to-be-named fifth album, which they hope to release in early 2012. Unfortunately, the band is one big step away from announcing an official release date: finding someone to release it.

“Basically right now we’re just kinda waiting like I said to get it mixed and to find a home for it,” explains Taylor. “We don’t know who is going to release that record just yet, whether it’s an indie label or ourselves, we haven’t quite figured it out. So as soon as we figure that out hopefully we’ll just get the ball rolling as soon as we can and get it out.”

The new album was created on the band’s own time, in their own way, but that didn’t leave them without worry.

“This time around, we had plenty of time to write, we had no real schedule,” says Taylor. “Everything was kind of up to us, which was a touch nerve-racking I guess but at the same time we felt more comfortable, if that makes any sense.”

Motion City Soundtrack’s last release, My Dinosaur Life, was their debut with Columbia Records and reunited them with Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus as their producer. This time around, the band took things into their own hands, joining producer Ed Ackerson in Minneapolis and recording locally at his Flowers Studio. Despite the major shift in recording style from one record to the next, any shifts in sound, according to Taylor, are “up to the band, it’s up to the songs you write.”

“It’s just a slightly different approach then we’ve ever had because usually we have to book time, go out to L.A. for however many weeks and write, and there’s always underlying pressure of budget and time constraints and your producer’s schedule and your schedule and all this stuff,” Taylor explains. “This time we just felt like it was like we were just taking our time and just kinda living life and not worrying about too much other than getting together and making music.”

Although the setlist for the mini-tour is fairly set in stone, fans may get a hint at some of the new music on Motion City Soundtrack’s upcoming dates with Jack’s Mannequin. Nothings certain yet, but Taylor says he hopes they “sneak one in there.”

Motion City Soundtrack will perform at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston on Tuesday, September 13 and Wednesday, September 14. Tickets for both nights are now on sale through Ticketmaster for $29.50 per night or $50 for a two-night pass.